West Africa: The Songhai Empire

Empires Trade and Economic Advances

"The Songhai Empire’s traded kola nuts, gold, ivory, slaves, spices, palm oil and precious woods were in exchange for salt, cloth, arms, horses and copper." Ref: History Songhai Empire

West Africa: Songhai Empire

The Songhai Empire in West Africa at the height of its power. "When Emperor Askia Muhammad ruled, the empire stretched from the Atlantic coast to what is now central Nigeria. It included parts of what are now Burkina Faso, Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Senegal. Trade routes to and from Songhai made the empire the richest in West Africa.” http://history.howstuffworks.com/african-history/songhai-empire.htm

Fast Facts!

Empire: Songhai Empire

Location/Time Period: (1375-1591) Extended from the capital on the Niger River, Gao, to the Atlantic Ocean (present day Senegal and Gambia) and what is now Nigeria. It was founded in 800 AD in Gao, but started to expand in 1375 after it rebelled.

Religion: Islam

How did Japan approach foreign trade? “The Japanese government scorned Christian beliefs and did not like Christian involvement in their political affairs. As a result, the Japanese government instituted a closed country policy.” www.lcps.org/cms/.../The_World_Around_1500_Review_Questions.ppt.

Strong Leaders In the Songhai Empire

Songhai Empire Map

Askia Muhammad Toure: Most important Songhai emperor (15th and 16th centuries) 1442-1538 and

successor of Sunni Ali (died 1492)

Sunni Sulayman: The founder of the second Songhai Empire (up to 1464)

Sunni Baru: Last empire of the Songhai Dynasty (1492-1493)

Askia Ismail: Overthrew a trynant and restored the Songhai empire to its powerful reign as it was before (1537-1539)

Timeline: Important Events of the Songhai Empire

• Gao rebelled against Mali and began the expansion of the Songhai- 1375
• Sonni Ali takes over power in Gao and takes over Timbuktu- 1464
• Askia Mohammad takes power and begins the first dynasty in Songhai- 1492
• During the rule of Askia al-Hajj Muhammad, the important trade city in the Songhai empire, Timbuktu, reached its Golden Age- 1493 to 1528
• Askia Ismail overthrew a tyrant and restored the empire to a powerful reign as it was before- 1537 to 1539
• Askia Daoud takes power, becoming last Songhai ruler- 1582
• Songhai empire destroyed by Moroccan invaders using firearms- 1591
• The last of the Songhai empire disappears, all that’s left is mosques and trade cities- 1612

Songhai and West-African Architecture

West Africa:

Songhai Empire

Songhai Artwork #1:

Songhai Artwork #3:

Footed Bowl: 13th C - Tellem, Mali;

*Tellem people arrived in Mali during 11th C AD

*Bowls like this were found in caves below burial sites

*Believed to have been made for funerary purposes

*The specks at the bottom could be from sacrificial remains

Greatly influenced by Islam and used many Islamic designs but still had an African style

How they were made: Shaping clay over mold and expanding the sides with coils, a base was added for support, design came from a fiber coil.

Image depicting Mansa Musa:

*The picture’s purpose is to represent Mali and Songhai big in trade with Mansa Musa as the Empire King.

*In the image the King is holding the gold staff and the gold crown which shows that the Songhai Empire became wealthy through trade of gold.

*This shows that the country was very wealthy and big it trading.

Songhai Artwork #2:

West-African Treat:

• The cuisine is primarily traditional, but has important influences from Portugal, India, Persia, Great Britain and North Africa. Shuku-shuku is a sweet tasting Nigerian snack that has found its way to other neighboring countries because of its great taste and it can be made in less than no time.
• Ref: West African Recipes

Pectoral: Saint Anthony (Toni Malau)

*This piece of art is from the Songhai empire. The Kongo kingdom, an immensely powerful state spanning parts of present-day Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, and the Congo Republic, adopted Christianity as its state religion in the fifteenth century.

*It is a sculpture of Saint Anthony, Toni Malau. One of the movements of Christianity was called Antonianism, with the emblem being Saint Anthony, a saint associated with the protection of children and mothers and conceived as the source of Kongo salvation.

*The small pendant is made of brass, Saint Anthony carries a cross in his right hand while in his left he supports an open book, upon which the Christ Child stands clutching a goldfinch foreshadowing the Crucifixion.

*This pendant shows that the people of Kongo put a lot of faith into their religion, Christianity, during political and social problems to get through tough situations.

References:

• History Songhai Empire
• http://history.howstuffworks.com/african-history/songhai-empire.htm
• www.lcps.org/cms/.../The_World_Around_1500_Review_Questions.ppt.
• www.metmuesum.org
• http://www.blackpast.org/gah/songhai-empire-ca-1375-1591
• http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/whic/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindow?zid=a23cd7c68785f1a4a851d0f82857f5e6&action=2&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CCX3048600061&userGroupName=seat24826&jsid=5c6cbc46bafc38b2b6a3b52ffada3335
• http://doornumberthree.tripod.com/ws1.html
• http://www.historyhaven.com/APWH/unit2/africa_and_its_golden_age_of_emp.htm
• http://www.tombouctoumanuscripts.org/about/history/
• http://www.everydaylifeinanearlywestafricanempire.com/20greatestrulersofthesonghaiempire.html
• http://www.britannica.com/place/Songhai-empire
• http://songhaiempire1.weebly.com/geography.html
• http://www.sahistory.org.za/topic/songhai-african-empire-15-16th-century
• https://books.google.com/books?id=Uhh7GggNxQoC&pg=PA102&lpg=PA102&dq=what+is+the+original+faith+of+the+songhai+empire&source=bl&ots=uf_H_Wclj4&sig=Z8nEZyTjTvlwQu90fxlodiYPq5A&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CCoQ6AEwAmoVChMI1reStpOvyAIVwjw-Ch1AoQK_#v=onepage&q=what%20is%20the%20original%20faith%20of%20the%20songhai%20empire&f=fa
• http://www.sahistory.org.za/topic/songhai-african-empire-15-16th-century
• https://books.google.com/books?id=hgrmT5wT0R4C&pg=PA116&lpg=PA116&dq=did+west+african+empires+use+peanuts&source=bl&ots=PvBUaABN7i&sig=8q0DvOIKIMZAbs841erN_vXg8Tc&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CDUQ6AEwBGoVChMIvaG5oMG9yAIVCzU-Ch1PegSI#v=onepage&q=did%20west%20african%20empires%20use%20peanuts&f=false